Agencies take employees’ complaints seriously. In fact, they’re required to thanks to laws such as the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Act and declarations such as President Biden’s Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. Regardless of those, federal agencies strive to serve as a model for all organizations — public and private alike — so when someone is unhappy, they listen.
Although employee complaints can fall into a single category of EEO-related issues — unfair treatment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics — they also can cut across categories. As a result, agencies need individual solutions tailored to each area that can also interoperate to share data and allow for reporting across multiple categories.
A unified case management platform lets agencies connect data and processes across disparate systems, transforming how they turn actionable insights into opportunities and solutions. What’s more, they can procure the solutions they need most immediately and add on others as their budgets allow.
For instance, someone might file an anti-harassment case that is better suited for the EEO team. If the two systems exchange data, the EEO team could conceivably import the case number and relevant information: names of the people involved and details on the alleged offense.
A benefit of a unified suite is that although individual applications differ based on the type of complaint they handle, they follow similar patterns. That makes it easy for case managers who learn one system to understand another when needed.
Other key capabilities of a unified system include:
- Role-based dashboards for case managers with a shared landing page and database so everything they need is in one place
- Built-in business rules that ensure compliance with EEO requirements and directives
- A secure portal where complainants can enter information and track their case status
- Robust search capabilities
- Alerts associated with points in the complaint process to support compliance, data integrity and reporting
What’s more, agencies need customizable solutions because not every situation is the same. One agency’s average workflow may take 30 days and another’s 45, so they should be able to set their system accordingly.
Another benefit of an integrated system is accuracy. Many agencies currently use spreadsheets to manually track complaints, but that risks errors. A case management solution can walk users through specific business processes, ensuring there are no missed steps.
When it comes to sensitive workplace disputes, it may be tough to find agreement, but a unified approach to managing the process can go a long way to maintaining a single source of truth for the most accurate, evidence-based decision-making.
Photo by Edmond Dantès
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